One of the most common inquiries we encounter is, “Do you offer lights manufactured in the USA?” Many of us aim to purchase American-made products whenever possible, and it can be disheartening when we find ourselves compelled to buy items produced in China, Vietnam, or India. Many Americans over the age of 35 likely recall Wal Mart’s significant marketing effort years ago, promoting that they exclusively sold Made in the USA products. Today, a visit to any Wal Mart reveals a challenge in finding numerous hard goods still produced domestically.

Returning to our initial question, do we offer Christmas lights made in the USA? Despite our wish to supply domestically produced light sets, regrettably, there are no manufacturers currently creating Christmas lights within the US. Ironically, the first mass-produced light sets originated in the US starting in the 1920s and continued for the following half-century. In fact, the United States was not only the world’s top producer of Christmas lights but also led in manufacturing Christmas decorations.

The primary reason Christmas lights are no longer produced domestically is due to one factor: Labor cost. An article in the Huffington Post from a few years ago noted that the average American factory worker earns ten times more than their Chinese counterpart. For many years, Chinese labor has dominated manufacturing within the Christmas industry. However, recently, inflation and swiftly rising labor costs in China have reduced the cost disparity between manufacturing lights and decorations in China versus the US. Nevertheless, even with the narrowing gap, it would still be at least two or three times more expensive to manufacture Christmas lights domestically. Very few consumers would be willing to pay $35 to $45 for a single LED light set.

Fortunately, the future appears promising for the return of manufacturing to the US. As foreign labor and fuel costs continue to rise, this will help balance the scales, making US manufacturing costs more attainable. Additionally, increased automation in the manufacturing process also enhances the feasibility for American factories to re-enter the market.

The conclusion, therefore, is that while we are unable to source Christmas lights made in the USA, our complete range of Commercial Christmas Decorations and Commercial Outdoor Christmas Trees are entirely produced in the US. The steel used is all American, and everything is assembled with American labor. We are continuously searching for US manufacturers of high-quality Christmas decorations, and we remain optimistic that the current trend of products returning to domestic production will persist.

Do you know of a company or individual producing Christmas decor in the States? Let us know; we are eager to discover new sources of domestically produced products and support US-based businesses.